10 Things My Guy (and Maybe Yours!) Does That I Won't Take for Granted in 2015

I'm a big believer in practicing gratitude. In fact, I'm quite convinced that being grateful, consciously and on purpose, has changed my life. This year, I want my relationship to reap those positive affects, so I'll no longer be taking for granted the little and special things my boyfriend does on the daily. Some are uber-specific—your boyfriend may not google cat jokes to make you smile midday—but I bet your guy and my guy have a few wonderful traits in common. Let's get a little mushy and grateful for each, shall we?

1. He unburdens me. Leading up to our Costa Rica vacation, I had, literally, 85 articles to pre-write so I could take the trip work-free. Without my asking, he took as much as he could off my plate, from little things, such as printing off our driving directions, to larger gestures, such as driving treacherous and mountainous roads the entire trip so that I could (kind of) relax in the passenger's seat. The best part? I never have to ask. He just helps me.

2. He walks on the side of traffic. My guy is determined that if one of us is going to get hit by a vehicle, it's going to be him. He's never said anything about it to me, but whenever we walk on the side of a car-filled road, he swaps spots with me so that he's closest to the vehicles. When we come to an intersection and he can tell I'm ready to plow right through it, he throws an arm out to prevent me from being hit by, like, a bus. In other words, he instinctually protects me, and that's so awesome.

3. He puts his phone away when he's with me. I still remember our first date. It occurred to me midway through that I hadn't seen his phone the entire night—it wasn't even on the table. And when our conversation turned to a YouTube video, he actually asked permission to take his phone out of his pocket and show me. The tradition of him staying unplugged from his phone and social media has continued, and though it's a small gesture, it makes me feel important and special in his eyes.

4. He reads everything I write. Yup, he'll even read this post. Regardless of whether the topic or publication personally interests him, he reads every word I type. He'll text me to tell me his thoughts on some pieces, or bring them up in a phone conversation. This is meaningful to me in many ways, but perhaps most important is feeling like what I do is also valuable to him.

5. He's quick to give sincere compliments. And they're not always verbal. I've joked that the boy should never play poker against me—he doesn't mask his emotions well within five feet of me. His eyes once got cartoon-character big when he saw me in a lacy black dress, and it made me feel like a million bucks. He gives the kind of compliments that expect nothing in return. And those are the best kind.

6. He sets reminders in his phone. I used to think he had a perfect memory—and his is still the most elephant-like memory I've seen—but the key to my boyfriend's incredible recall is the reminder app on iPhone. How he remembers things isn't important, though. What's important is that he has a desire to remember everything from what I tell him to what I like to what we should do next Saturday. Again, there he goes making me feel valued and important to him.

7. He apologizes sincerely when he's done wrong. Not the "Yeah, sure, you're irked so therefore I'll say 'I'm sorry' to move this conversation along" kind of apology. But the kind where he really considers and works to understand my side. When he apologizes, it's heartfelt. And more than that, I know he's actively working on ways to make sure we don't encounter the same situation again.

8. He humors me. Specifically, he humors my insistence that he add When Harry Met Sally, My Fair Lady, and Much Ado About Nothing (the Joss Whedon version) to his movie repertoire. Talk about taking chick-flicks to the nth degree. But he's down, and that's so cool. He wants to experience, even if he doesn't learn to like, the things I love. There's even talk of going to a ballet or musical when I move to New York City!

9. He sends me a "hello" text each morning. Because we're still in a long-distance relationship, we don't get as much-face-to-face time as we'd like. But he rarely misses an opportunity to start our day together somehow, even if it is a simple, "Hi, I hope you slept well," and nothing more. It tells me I'm on his mind—and puts me in a great mood from the moment my feet hit the floorboards.

10. His behavior sets a high bar for my own. My boyfriend is, without a doubt, the kindest, most generous, reasonable, wickedly smart—you never want to play him in Jeopardy!—and helpful man I've met. When I'm tempted to get snarky or grumpy or sassy, all I have to do is look to him and take a step back to where he is. He sets an amazing and enviable example for how our relationship should look and how people should behave. He makes me really proud to call him "mine," and I hope I can behave a little more like him each day.

Is it obvious I could go on (and on)? I won't, but I hope my list maybe resembles yours, or inspires you to look at the things your guy does for you in a brighter light. Relationships take work. They're not always fun. But, wow, when we think about it, we have so much to be grateful for and make sure we don't take for granted, right?

What are the things your guys does that you won't be taking for granted this year? I can't wait to read them!